The Murph Workout: A Hero Workout in Honor of Lt. Michael Murphy

man doing pushups in a gym - the murph workout

CrossFit has many “hero” and “tribute” workouts—workouts in honor of CrossFit service members who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. Perhaps the most well known of these workouts is the Murph, created to honor the sacrifice of US Navy SEAL Lieutenant Michael Murphy. Lt. Murphy was killed in Afghanistan when he and his comrades were ambushed during Operation Red Wings on June 28, 2005.

Murphy himself called the workout “Body Armor” (it’s “authentically” done with a 20 lb. weight vest or body armor), and it was renamed, of course, in his honor. The workout became an official CrossFit Hero workout on August 28, 2005.

CrossFit Hero workouts are intended to be intense, to push CrossFit athletes physically and perhaps even mentally. The Murph is no exception. It is traditionally performed on Memorial Day to honor Lt. Murphy and all fallen service members.

So what is it?

The Murph Workout Explained

The Murph workout, as prescribed (RX’d), involves:

  • 1-mile run
  • 100 pull-ups
  • 200 push-ups
  • 300 air squats
  • 1-mile run

With a 20 lb vest on, you do all that as fast as you can (current world record is 32 min 41 sec). It really is that simple, but it’s anything but easy. The pull-ups, push-ups, and air squats can be partitioned, or segmented, in any way to help manage the high volume. For example, you can break them into rounds of 5 pull-ups, 20 push-ups, and 20 air squats.

Some experienced athletes make a point of doing the workout nonpartitioned, meaning they have to complete 100 pull-ups before moving on to the 200 push-ups, and so on. Feel free to try this way, but remember that it’s not required to “RX” the workout. In other words, partitioning doesn’t make the workout less authentic or legitimate.

Now, maybe you’re looking at that short but daunting list and thinking, “There’s no way I’m doing that anytime soon!” Have no fear! This isn’t a do-or-die scenario. The CrossFit police isn’t gonna cite you for not doing the workout as prescribed. And there are also CrossFit-recommended variations for beginner and intermediate levels.

How Fast Should I Do the Murph?

The CrossFit website lists some recommended times for the different levels of the Murph.

For the beginner level, finish the workout in 25 to 30 minutes. For intermediate, finish in 32 to 40 minutes. And for the RX’d level, finish in 36 to 46 minutes. If it takes you longer than 46 minutes to RX the Murph, consider doing the intermediate level and working on reducing your time for that instead before moving on to the RX’d version.

Intermediate Variation of the Murph

  • 1-mile run
  • 50 pull-ups
  • 100 push-ups
  • 150 air squats
  • 1-mile run

The only change here is that the body workouts are halved. Go ahead and partition the reps as you need to. The Murph workout webpage on the official CrossFit website says to start the second run at least by 25 minutes.

Beginner Variation of the Murph

  • 800-meter run (that’s about half a mile)

 

Then 10 rounds of the following:

  • 50 ring rows or jumping pull-ups
  • 100 knee push-ups or elevated push-ups
  • 150 air squats

 

  • Finish with another 800-meter run

Again, partitioning the workout as needed is totally fine. The CrossFit website says to begin the second run at least by 20 minutes.

Preparing for the Murph Workout

As you’ve already figured out by now, this is an intense workout. The average person doesn’t typically wake up in the morning and say, “You know, I think I’ll do the Murph today.” This kind of workout requires a bit of thoughtful preparation, building up gradually to an official completion of the workout. If you’re not sure where to begin, CrossFit actually provides a structured training plan to help you build the strength and endurance you’ll need to do the workout safely. Click here to access that training regimen.

Athletes usually focus on running, bodyweight strength exercises, and endurance conditioning to get ready for the big challenge. Mastering your technique for the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats is important for preventing injury and for ensuring that you can say you did the workout legitimately!

Keeping Yourself Safe during the Murph

The Murph workout is physically demanding, especially if you opt to go all-out and do it with a 20 lb weight vest. Here are some precautions to keep in mind:

Warm-Up Properly

Engage in a thorough warm-up that includes dynamic stretching and mobility exercises to prepare your body for the workout. But remember to not overdo the stretching.

The point of a warm-up is to get your blood moving. You don’t want to stretch your muscles too much while they’re cold, otherwise you’re risking injury. Stretching is most effective after a workout, when your muscles are plenty warm. Running in place is one example of a good warm-up exercise.

Scale Appropriately

As Tony Horton often said in P90X—modify, modify, modify! Don’t be afraid to modify the workout based on your fitness level. Scaling the movements or reducing the volume is better than getting injured.

And remember, in any workout, you’re competing with yourself, not other people. You’re not in a race to do the Murph faster than John or Jane Doe. Nobody cares how long it takes you to work up to the full workout, whether it’s a few weeks or a few months. You do what works for you!

Break Up Your Reps

Partitioning, or breaking up, the workout into manageable sets can help prevent burnout and will reduce your risk of injury, especially during the pull-ups (typically the most difficult part). Partitioning is basically expected, and remember again that you can RX the workout while partitioning.

Stay Hydrated

Here’s another P90X Tony Horton quote: “Drink your water, people!” The workout is long and intense, so hydration is key before, during, and after.

Listen to Your Body

If you experience pain, dizziness, or an extreme amount of fatigue, stop right away and reassess how you’re doing the workout. Pushing through some discomfort is normal, but don’t ignore serious symptoms.

If you have any of these symptoms, you may need to go back to training and try the workout at a later date. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to see a medical doctor or a chiropractor to ensure that you aren’t aggravating a preexisting condition that you might not be aware of.

A meta-study conducted in 2018 discovered that CrossFit participants are most at risk of shoulder injuries during gymnastic movements, such as pull-ups. Well, the Murph includes doing 100 pull-ups, so it’s important to practice good technique, break the reps into manageable chunks, and build up the intensity gradually.

 

woman running near the beach

 

Other Tips for the Murph Workout

Pace Yourself during the First Mile

It’s a common mistake for athletes to wear themselves out too quickly. Certainly, you don’t want to take it easy, but just like any race, you want to conserve energy for the second run and finish strong. The hardest part of the whole workout is the body exercises anyway, so you don’t want to get tuckered out just before getting to the real difficult part.

Pace to Keep Your Heart Rate Down

There’s a time and a place to get your heart rate up. This isn’t one of those. When you train for the Murph, work on pacing and technique so that your heart rate remains low. When your heart rate remains low during the workout, it means your stamina is improving. Rushing through the exercises is the first way to jack up your heart rate and wear yourself out. Maintain a sense of patience, and remember that the best athletes understand breathing.

Don’t Waste Time Resting

Partitioning is important for helping most people get through the meat of the workout, but there is a risk in segmenting. When you switch from, say, pull-ups to push-ups, there will be a temptation to take a quick rest, especially as you’re getting close to finishing the portion. If you’re not concerned about the time and just want to say that you’ve done the workout period, then don’t worry.

But if you have a time goal or are working on breaking your previous record, be aware of this trap and mentally prepare yourself to not give in to the desire to rest. A second or two might not seem like much, but those seconds add up and can totally ruin what might be a good time.

Low-Heart-Rate Training

A big part of training your heart to stay calm during workouts is to do your exercise at a slow pace, preventing your heart rate from getting too high. The goal is to strengthen your heart and lungs over time and help them become more efficient.

Some research has shown that training your heart rate to remain low can help you do exercises and workouts more quickly (while not jacking up your heart rate of course).

Keep in mind that this doesn’t replace your entire workout regimen. Do low-intensity training for about an hour about two or three times per week. It may take weeks or months to see results (normal exercise intensity with a decreased heart rate), so be patient. In the end, it will be worth it not only for doing the Murph but also for your overall health throughout your life.

Just Do Your Best

Completing the Murph workout is a great way to honor United States service members and remember their sacrifices. But remember that you’re not honoring them any less if you don’t complete the workout in the same way as top-performing athletes.

Perhaps you merely want to be inspired by the Murph workout. That’s great too! Examining well-established workouts can be a great way to come up with your own personalized WOD (workout of the day). Maybe you’d prefer to row or cycle the one mile. Maybe you’d rather do jumping jacks or jump rope. Maybe you don’t have a pull-up bar and would rather skip the pull-ups and increase the running distance. The sky is the limit, so exercise a little creativity, and whether you do the Murph on Memorial Day or any other day, remember to have fun!

To finish off with one last piece of advice from Tony Horton, “do your best and forget the rest!”